U.S. Pat. No. 982,373 to Lawrence relates to an invention for separating rubber-like gum from the guayule plant by raking the plant and then placing the plant in water to soak. It is then rubbed and pressed under water as for example in a pebblemill to separate the gum. This patent does not disclose storage or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,159,137 to Vecchini relates to the extraction of rubber from guayule plants by drying the plants, and then trituration by friction to a degree that all the wood, fiber and bark substances are reduced to flour while the rubber filaments, which are elastic, are glomerated into a mass of considerable size, as for example lumps. Thus, this patent does not relate to storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,753,184 to Spence, relates to enhancing the storage of guayule shrub by adding a stabilizing agent to stabilize the shrub and the rubber content thereof against deterioration. A stabilizing agent utilized is dimethyl-para-phenylene-diamine. The shrub is generally treated by spraying or dipping it into the stabilizing solution. This patent fails to disclose any densification or compression of the guayule plant shrub.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,753,185 to Spence is similar to the preceding patent and relates to treating the rubber in the guayule shrub either before or during extraction with a preservative or stabilizing agent. It fails to disclose compression of guayule plant shrub or formation of a densified pellet.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,281,336 to Stacom, relates to applying high pressure to guayule shrubs to crush and break open the cells therein and thereby separate rubber from the shrubs. Hence, this patent fails to disclose any densification, or formation of a pellet, as well as any storage thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,131 to Buchanan relates to the simultaneous action of compression and shear forces to guayule plants to reduce them to a plastic mass which is then subjected to solvent extraction to obtain the rubber or rubber-like material therein. This patent does not disclose application of only compressive forces, the densification of the plant, or the production of a non-plastic pellet and storage thereof with minimum loss of the molecular weight.